Denn Highlights Education Successes
In yesterday’s News Journal Lt. Gov. Matt Denn wrote a op-ed highlighting some of the successes we’ve had in education in Delaware. Denn mentions some cultural changes that are occurring in school districts throughout the state as calling out some districts for excuse making. In his piece, Denn points out his office’s 2nd annual report on education spending that was released in May. If you have read this before, you should do so, it makes for interesting reading.
Denn also writes about programs in two schools Anna P. Mote Elementary and McIlvaine Early Learning Center that work on increasing parent involvement. For me, parental involvement is the lynch-pin issue for school success. I’m not talking about parents attending school meetings, participating in PTA, etc., — no, what I’m talking about is something more fundamental: making sure your child does all their homework and that your child gets a good night sleep. But I digress. As I mentioned before, Denn’s annual report is something you should really read.
I have a lot of respect for the way Denn is handling this. His focus on “Education” could be a vague and vacuous as his predecessor’s focus on “fitness.” It isn’t.
Matt Denn acts like an Education Governor ought to. He sets an excellent example of understanding schools, parents, teachers, administrators and students. I sure wish he was in charge of education in this state,,,,,
“For me, parental involvement is the lynch-pin issue for school success. I’m not talking about parents attending school meetings, participating in PTA, etc., — no, what I’m talking about is something more fundamental: making sure your child does all their homework”
Agreed. You’ve done it now; you’ve posted a thread on my pet issue 🙂
Let me just say at the outset that Matt Denn is the best thing to happen to schools and parental involvement in a long time. But he has an uphill battle if he wants to change the culture within the districts regarding parental involvement.
Yes, parents and district administrators have completely different ideas of what “parental involvement” means. If you look at district policies regarding parental involvement, they are mostly written only to comply with Federal requirements, not to address any District appetite for parental involvement.
I’ve been working on this within Red Clay at the school and District level for a few years now, so I’ll just lay out some of what I’ve learned.
Caveat: My experiences are mostly with Red Clay, although I have also reached out to state level educators and elected officials.
Homework completion is one of the most (if not the most) important factor in educational success. But there is too much moral drama and fingerpointing, and not enough results-oriented action.
There’s fingerpointing at parents who can’t or won’t help with homework, or even track it to make sure it is done. We know there are some parents like this.
There are also students who can’t or won’t get their homework done on their own consistently. We know this too.
So far it seems the preferred solution in the schools and in the public is to engage in high moral dudgeon about those parents and students and their responsibilities. I am sure we will see plenty of examples of this in the comments. THIS IS THE WRONG SOLUTION AND HAS NO CHANCE OF WORKING.
Educators need to ask themselves: Is it more important to make practical and effective plans to make sure the homework gets done, or is it better to let it go unfinished and point fingers everywhere else?
There are a lot of practical things the schools could do to help get the homework done. The old-fashioned study hall, for one. Communicate better. Use technology to make sure parents and students can access their assignment list, instructions, and handouts at any time. Put it online. Send phone reminders to homes with chronic homework issuess. We already have this technology in place in the schools.
There is a program out now for low income families to receive very low-cost Internet access from Comcast, including a free computer and training. Has your district been promoting this to their families? This would help students and parental involvement in homework in ways too numerous to count.
I don’t see anybody in the schools making these kinds of practical efforts to help students who have problems getting their work done. What I see instead is moral grandstanding about the problem. My apologies to anyone who does not fit this description. Please let me know you are out there.
And even though we are willing to grandstand endlessly about homework, we don’t know anything about homework completion in the schools, because we don’t report the data. This is especially unforgiveable because we actually do collect the data meticulously in Delaware’s grading database (eSchoolPlus), but we don’t report on it and use it as a metric. I have looked into this. Reporting on homework completion data is not a built-in feature of the system, but adding it is within the capabilities of Delaware’s development team as a small to mid-size project, or we could try to prevail on the vendor to provide it.
If you want to talk about homework completion, first have the data. I have had this conversation with school and District administrators many times when they want to talk about homework completion:
Me: Do you know what your homework completion rates are?
Educator: Of course I do…I talk to the teachers and get a sense of whether homework is getting done…
Me: Okay, so what was the District’s homework completion rate last year? Was it better or worse than the year before? Which schools are doing best on homework completion? How does it compare with other districts?
Educator: *crickets*
Preemptively accusing me of moral grandstanding is not an argument. It is an anti-argument. What leverage does a society have over bad parents other than shame?
You want to put the entire burden on the teacher and I’d like to see some of that burden shifted to the parent. Short of that, I’d like parents to know when they are not fulfilling their responsibilities.
Yes, I can see how spending lots of time and effort to track homework completion would really, really, really make our schools lots better. Indeed, that’s what some education officials would like to do — spend tens of millions of dollars on a computer program that will do just that.
Guess what, Mike? There’s a simple way to make it 100% — if a student doesn’t do the homework, make him stay after school to complete it. Of course, that assumes the teachers are assigning homework in the first place.
But you keep right on advocating for more data that will allow us to compare one mediocre school to all the other mediocre schools. It hasn’t worked for the past 40 years, but I’m sure it will start working any year now.
“Yes, I can see how spending lots of time and effort to track homework completion would really, really, really make our schools lots better. Indeed, that’s what some education officials would like to do — spend tens of millions of dollars on a computer program that will do just that.”
Geezer – you missed the point. We are already collecting homework completion data using the grading systems we are already paying for. It’s already happening. That is 99.9% of the effort. All we need to do is report on it. That is not a difficult or expensive task, and failing to do it is inexcusable.
“Guess what, Mike? There’s a simple way to make it 100% — if a student doesn’t do the homework, make him stay after school to complete it”
Now that what I am talking about – the old-fashioned study hall. Make it so.
But be prepared to provide meals and transportation, and a nurse for kids whose medication is wearing off… Remember we are talking about the kids whose parents can’t or won’t help.
Geezer, you of all people, please don’t slip into moral grandstanding and fingerpointing.
The metric of “homework completion” would be especially valuable to track because unlike all the standardized tests of dubious value, it comes directly from everyday work in the classroom.
“You want to put the entire burden on the teacher ”
I didn’t say that. I know teachers are at capacity. Anything we do needs to take that into account to make sure they aren’t overburdened. I’d be first in line to support that.
But we can’t make education policy by rejecting anything new based on misplaced fear of overburdening teachers.
Everyone agrees the status quo isn’t acceptable, but they sure put a lot of energy into defending it.
I will say that without data, we need to stop pretending we know anything about homework completion.
Mike: Believe me, it’s not moral grandstanding. I am not proud of my decision to move my kids from public schools to private ones. I did it because I felt I had to, mainly because my work schedule at the time precluded me from being as involved as I believe a parent must be to have his children reach their full potential in an overwhelmed, underfunded system.
I used to argue with the folks at the News Journal editorial board about this. Class size doesn’t make any difference, I was told, until you get classes down to 15 kids. So why don’t we? Do the math. We’d have to spend twice as much as we already do, and that’s out of the question. There are tax breaks for rich people that are more important.
It’s not moral high ground. It’s surrender. I give up, because we can’t get people to even consider doing what really needs to be done.
@ Mike O.
You said you have been involved in Red Clay. Please take a look at Dickinson High School. They have a program called “5th period” where they forceably remove students from the bus to stay after and complete work. They have a late bus for them. My son hated this program and I loved it! Unfortunately, they only offered it in grade 9 and now my son is in 10th grade.
Thanks, JustaParent. That sounds promising. I still say we need data so we can evaluate the effectiveness of these kinds of programs.
We need to try different things to see what works. We have too many self-appointed experts who think they know how to get 100% of homework done, or if not to hell with the kids who don’t get it done.
I think Mike O’s position is unassailable in one respect: you cannot know the true extent of a problem and what programs might be able to address it as well as the effectiveness of extant programs unless you are collecting the data and studying the results. Otherwise, you are left with hunches–some more educated than others perhaps but hunches nonetheless.
Here’s my hunch: more parents than we think don’t possess the educational background themselves to effectively help their children with homework especially in the higher grades. If I am correct, I believe we need to rethink the homework phenomenon. Perhaps we do need after-school, tutoring programs for just this purpose. We could even get very radical with this. We could question the necessity of daily homework assignments in the higher grades and assign weekly project assignments instead w/ a tutoring service provided on a weekend day (the library is also open). In my best of all possible worlds, which means it would never fly, we would test parents’ educational acumen to determine if their children will require these kinds of services. All of that assuming, of course, that my hunch is correct.
I don’t think parents should “help” their kids do homework – it’s work for the kids after-all. What parents should be doing is making sure their children have a space to do their homework that is quiet and free of distractions.
I want to add that I also appreciate the good efforts that Lt. Gov. Matt Denn has performed for our students in DE. I especially appreciate that he hasn’t lost sight of the educational needs of special needs children in his efforts. That would be easy to do, but he hasn’t done it.
My understanding is that massive overnight homework is a relatively recent phenomenon. If it’s not working for a known group of students it needs to be re-examined. Right now the philosophy is ‘the nail that sticks up will be hammered down.’
Nemeski, I think there is nothing wrong w/ a parent saying to a child something like “You need to rethink how you wrote that sentence” or “Are you sure that is the correct solution.” That is part of the educational experience. But that presupposes a knowledge base that I fear many parents don’t possess.
@ dana, OK, I see what your saying.
@ Mike O, I’m not seeing massive amounts of homework. I have two kids (one in private school and one in public). There are big homework projects they get from time to time, but as parents, we help the kids break these large projects into manageable pieces so they get accomplished with the least amount of pain. I guess our job is really one of organization.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homework#In_the_United_States
I think I’m gonna be sick. You write endlessly about homework completion–and lack thereof–tie it in w/ Prof. Matt Denn who thinks he can run some quick and dirty numbers about Delaware school districts, have News Journal easy access for coverage and voila–we have 5th period study halls (sorry, we call that detention where I’m from), and everyone thinks they have that silver bullet to fix the schools–just ask ’em. Well, I’m here to tell you (since everyone’s an expert), till we get back to truancy court, detention the day of infraction (and not this scheduled nonsense, when parent says they can stay), and supporting a teacher in the way they run their class, and the very little they ask of parents, homogenous grouping of students and their abilities (I know more than a few of you just stroked on that one), then we are going to keep getting the very same results we’re getting. WHY? Because teachers are ready and willing to teach–but we interfering, know better parents insist our children be handled w/ kid gloves, be the exception, be the best, be the center of everyone’s universe and we’re blowing it for our kids. It is ludicrous to expect a teacher to differentiate her learning style to 23 little minds of wonder–ludicrous—but the US has bought into that and a teacher is left to feel like a circus act of spinning pie pans on those poles, so none fall. I will never understand how a parent doesn’t object to a child being placed onto an orthopedic, or cardiac floor in a hospital for a broken bone or defective heart valve, but Heaven forbid we group children by learning styles or proven capabilities. We’ve come a long way w/ stigmas, labels etc from the 50s thru the 70s to realize the flexibility of grouping children as they mature learn, outgrow, develop etc., to ever see them remain in a pack. But no–we’d rather screw up the whole bunch and interfere w/ everyone’s learning for the sake of minority. Well, if we think we as a nation are going to “take back” any global positioning as a forerunner in education, we better get real and address our utopian view of all children can learn—true but not in the same class. I’ve had it–and I want teachers to teach exactly whom they have studied, and wanted to teach and knock out these hodge-podge poor excuses of a classroom where three kids are running the show and the teacher ragged. It’s unfair to the teacher, and more importantly to the student–and THAT’S WHERE PARENTS NEED TO GET MAD and put their foot down, get laws changed–and believe me the check-offs for homework will find their place. Because, IF you read any studies–homework isn’t all it’s cracked up to be–but I digress. And Denn’s article was a hit piece–but hey if you allow a few big words, some dropped comparisons whether apples to orangutans, and numbers misaligned across districts (as if a normal citizen would hunt them down), then have at it. Sorry, this piece was perfectly timed to the state budget reveal of negating its duty on transportation for kids and it did the job. So where are your districts coming up w/ transportation funds this year?
WORD!
these hodge-podge poor excuses of a classroom where three kids are running the show and the teacher ragged. It’s unfair to the teacher, and more importantly to the student
Agreed. Class sizes are too big. They need to be cut nearly in half, and kids assigned to the right classes for them. Some of this can be funded through savings (which is exactly what Matt Denn is talking about).
But most of it will have to be done by spending the money to hire new teachers.
and THAT’S WHERE PARENTS NEED TO GET MAD and put their foot down
And here is where I can’t blame the dysfunctional parents or their children who don’t do their homeowork. I blame the smug parents of honor students who won’t raise their own taxes to cut class size.
And skeptics love to scorn the new data systems. But once we get the systems online, that data is exactly how we will know which students belong in which of the new smaller classes. No, it is not enough that the teachers “just know” (although they should get a say).
(not that anyone is going to cut class size anytime soon)
Because, IF you read any studies–homework isn’t all it’s cracked up to be
I would like to agree with you but I think the right answer is – it depends. Often it is true though.
Mike–don’t know how long you have been involved w/ schools for me to cross swords with you–but I’m telling you–the magical class size you speak of is if we keep heterogenous grouping. Why do we need to do that? Funny, our classes of 28-31 of homogenous grouping all excelled together. From the outset–put students where they need to be. If a particular type of student demands a 4:1 ratio–give it to them. If everyone’s on the same page at 28:1, so be it. And your homework missive? Please, I want my child ready w/ 21st century skills. Granted, early grades need those multiplication facts done, but heck, I’d be thrilled if they assigned my kid to read the WSJ nightly and be pop quizzd on it the next day. Cuz at this rate, the only things our kids see in headlines in the US is JLo splits from Marc, and Extreme Home Makeover comes to the shore.
We are at the point globally, our students should be doing more projects, and collaborative assignments whether you like it or not, and it doesn’t shine the light on your honor student, or one lifts more than the other–but that’s where it’s at and should be from middle school going forward. Your parent involvement should be to drum up support to make financially viable those choice opportunities, and yes to help them initially organize the earlier solo projects (that’s organize–not do). And I have yet to meet an honor student parent who didn’t want their taxes raised to align with what a district spells out they are doing with the money.
And your questioning an educator on homework completion rate is smug, arrogant, and the epitamy of grandstanding. Way to endear yourself to someone who really wanted to start the conference out partnering with you on your child’s behalf–but you had to take the upper hand, embarrass the educator on a fact that doesn’t even pertain to your child (cuz heck, your child is doing their homework). Why not ask, when was asbestos abatement completed for the building? Because we all know that effects our childrens’ learning too.
Are we crossing swords? I wasn’t aware. Okay then, let’s go.
Yes, I know a class full of honor students tends to do well no matter how large. No surprise there.
Your parent involvement should be to drum up support to make financially viable those choice opportunities
Are you hearing yourself Joanne? This is exactly the problem described in my first comment – districts telling parents what their involvement should be. Now you tell me my job is to shut up and raise money for whatever the District wants to do?
I think parents are in the best position to decide what their parent involvement should be.
And your questioning an educator on homework completion rate is smug, arrogant, and the epitamy of grandstanding.
It’s not exactly endearing either when educators tell me what my parental involvement should be, or that I shouldn’t be asking for statistics about the school system I am paying for.
If you respond negatively to me bringing up these things, that says more about you than about me.
Parental involvement can take whatever form a parent decides–but to think just overseeing homework and attending a parent teacher conference should be dismissed is well– just dismissing. There are committees, focus groups, booster groups, PTAs, and a plethora of behind the scenes involvement needed to make all these kids have a successful educational career. Needless to say the financial piece is huge, so just staying on top of the needs in your district and the funding available should move one to support what a district might ask of the taxpayer.
Your asking building/district statistics of a classroom/subject teacher in a conference on your child is out of line, inappropriate, and playing “gotcha”. Your district reports things like that out for you to review in their annual review available most likely at district office if it wasn’t mailed home. You can’t expect the teacher to be your tour guide of the district, when she was scheduled to be conferencing about your child. And I have no problem when a teacher lays out what he/she prefers parent involvement to be. You need help in the classroom? Fine let me know…You don’t like help in the classroom? Fine….I have other stuff to do. Why would you get so uptight about an educator suggesting what parental involvement looks like to them? Ease up….it’s a long way thru grad school 🙂 !!
“Your asking building/district statistics of a classroom/subject teacher in a conference on your child is out of line,”
You missed the point, Joanne. I asked this in response to an educator who claimed they knew what their homework completion rates are. It was necessary to make my point. If they had not made that claim I would not ask that question.
I already know the rates aren’t being reported. So when we talk about homework getting done and parents being involved with it, we need to admit we know next to nothing about it beyond our own opinions. People who aren’t aware of this can be prone to grandstanding about homework and parent involvement.
By the way, I am enjoying discussing this with you even if we disagree. In a way you are helping me by putting the District point of view on display. No hard feelings at all.
Believe me Mike I’m a marshmallow–but I do think you went a little hard on the teacher who was giving you “her sense” of what homework completion was–and you going full throttle on building, district, and then historical data….c’mon now admit it. 🙂
Delaware schools are a joke and why don’t you ask how many Teachers sent their kids to private/parochial schools or how about why Delaware has the highest percentage of private/parochial attendance in the nation?
Maybe Denn can step away from his conflict of interest law firm and address the rampant violence in Delaware schools?
Delaware public schools are broken and the Dems own the mess. Denn and Markell have nothing to improve them except spend more money and waste more lives.
Nice try though for the Democrats but you suck on education.
The Disgrace:
You are perpetuating the LIE foisted upon the public by the folks who wished to resegregate the schools under the “Neighborhood Schools Law” in 2000. The argument was that the percentage in Delaware (especially NCC) was high because of busing. Before deseg it was @ 18-20% because of the ratio of historically popular private/parochial schools. After deseg, I believe it was @ 25%.My own district, Brandywine was at 23-25%.
Take a look at the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Report Card on the Schools:
http://www.philly.com/philly/education/report_card/?appSession=349235739652507
Haverford (one of the best in PA in academics) -35%
Rose Tree/Media – 25%
Radnor (another high performer in PA) – 23%
All three (and others) have low minority/poverty rates (for all of bigots who blame mixing those city kids in with suburbia).
You can check the other counties and find :
West Chester—26%
Lower Merion —35% (wealthier people with many private school choices).
DE schools have a lot of work to do, but please, let’s put that “everybody goes to private/parochial schools’ lie to bed.